All items listed and reviewed are available for purchase directly from Brickbat Books, although quantities are limited. Brickbat Books is located at 709 South Fourth Street, in the heart of Fabric Row, in Philadelphia.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Featured: Michael Hurley

Hard to think of a guy whose music has given so much flat-out pleasure over the years. Here's what we have in stock right now...

Land Of LoFi

Vinyl Record

"You could be sitting there wondering why Mississippi releases such a
huge amount of records by MICHAEL HURLEY (this is our 8th). To put it
as mildly as we can—Hurley is by and large one of the greatest song
writers of all time and we consider it an important part of our mission
to get the world aware of his awsome talent. Here we have Hurleys latest
batch of home recordings and believe me when I say they are some of his
best songs ever. It's unusual for a man 50 years into his recording
career to come up with some of his greatest songs yet, but here 'tis.
Hurley plays heart breakers solo with guitar and/or organ accompaniment,
along with three tracks where he is joined by the beautiful voice of
JOLIE HOLLAND. Some incredible new songs such as the eerie "Alligator in
the Water," the poignant and all too true 'Disaster at the Wheel," the
utterly cosmic "Corridor," the near avant garde "Doin' the Opossum," the
stone cold intense "You Got to Die" and on and on. True geniuses are
hard to come by, so wake on up and give this record a long hard listen.
If it doesn't move you, then I don't know what will. "

Ancestral Swamp

Vinyl Record

"Ancestral Swamp is the 20th full-length album by legendary rambler,
cartoonist, “outsider” folk singer, and guitarist Michael Hurley. It
arrives just in the nick of time for the rabid Snockophile. A batch of
new vittles and encores of some of his classic tunes, Ancestral Swamp
bubbles with laid-back ease and tremolodic goodness.Most
songs have the simplest of arrangements: Hurley singing solo,
accompanied by his guitar, Wurlizter organ, or fiddle. Tara Jane O’Neil
helps lend a nice touch to “El Dorado,” and Snock calls upon frequent
past accomplices Dave Reisch and Louie Longmeyer for their graceful
touch on sleepy winners like “New River Blues” and “Gamblin’ Charlie.”
As with all Hurley’s albums, once one sets the needle down, one is put
in a certain peace and place. His voice and songs are unique, shuffling
with characters and visions clear and wild. With Ancestral Swamp, it
seems Snock has left his front door open a bit wider than usual. If you
lean in close, you can inhale a little of the vapor rising off the
water, and enjoy a tale or two."

Long Journey

Vinyl Record

"Tracing the lineage and citing the fore-bearers of the New Weird
America, one can’t help but mention the music of bizarre folk
singer/guitarist/artist MICHAEL HURLEY. If you haven’t been following
his career since the 1970’s (when he was collaborating with the likes of
the Holy Modal Rounders and Jesse Colin Young) then you probably
discovered him in the past couple of years via Devendra Banhart’s and
Andy Cabic’s label Gnomonsong, who have released Hurley’s recent
recordings. Hurley’s debut album, First Songs, was recorded for Folkways
Records in 1965 on the same reel-to-reel machine that taped Lead
Belly’s Last Sessions. He was discovered by blues and jazz historian
Frederick Ramsey III, and subsequently championed by boyhood friend
Jesse Colin Young, who released Hurley’s next two album on The
Youngbloods’ Warner Brother’s imprint, Raccoon. How’s that for cred? In
the 1970s, Hurley made three albums for Rounder Records; Have Moicy!,
which Robert Christgau of The Village Voice called “The greatest folk
album of the rock era,” Long Journey, which features the song “Hog Of
The Forsaken,” as heard in HBO’s Deadwood, and Snockgrass which features
PETER STAMPFEL of the Holy Modal Rounders. All three are now making a
long awaited return to vinyl after several decades."

Ida Con Snock

Vinyl Record

"An album of recordings sung and played by Hurley, backed by Ida,
appropriately titled Ida Con Snock: Snock himself marvels at this 21st
studio album, recorded at Levon Helms' studio in Woodstock, NY. Ida's
less-is-more finesse shines on these rich recordings, melding perfectly
with Hurley's playing and singing. Many of these songs are already well
familiar to Hurley's devotees. There are seven originals and five loving
covers of '50s rock 'n' roll, C&W, and vintage folk, each tune
capturing Hurley and band at peak performance levels. "

Snockgrass

Vinyl Record

"Hurley’s 1980 LP Snockgrass is a delightful singer-songwriter
mix-up, with songs that switch from the serious to the satirical at the
drop of a hat (sometimes in the middle of a song), which can result in
unexpected laughter – the cover painting (done by Hurley himself), tends
to get puzzled and startled reactions for its surreal landscape filled
with naked people and instrument-playing wolves! The album features
several members of the Holy Modal Rounders, including Peter Stampfel on fiddle, Dave Reisch on bass and vocals, and Robin Remaily on mandolin

."

Wildegeeses/ South In Virginia

7 inch Single

"A 1993 recording of one of MICHAEL HURLEY’s greatest songs of all time.
Unreleased version featuring just Michael and his guitar. “Wildegeeses”
is a heavy little ballad about love and loss and all that kind of thing.
The B side, “West Virginia,” is a recording from around the same time—a
song thats never come out until now. Both killers. Full-color picture
sleeve painted by Michael. One time only limited edition. "